Of Love and Honour
by Xariann
Summary: Set in the timeline of Star Trek Online, after year 2400, the Federation and Klingons are at war. This is the story of two Klingon women who belonged to the Federation but decided to side with the Empire. They are long-term friends... or maybe more?
1. Honourable Conduct

_Chapter 1_  
><strong>Honourable conduct<strong>

"You saved me earlier today," Lunos said suddenly.

Sowl looked up, her seductive burgundy lips leaving the mug filled with Bloodwine. "And that surprises you?"

"You got yourself shot while doing that. Isn't Pathlat in charge of patching us back up mid battle?" perused the white haired Klingon, "You usually are all out shooting―"

"The Nausicaan(1) was a few feet further away," interrupted the Captain, looking back at her Bloodwine mug.

"Qa thlo'(2)." Silence ensued. Lunos had not touched her drink yet, and the hasty and somewhat needy reply seemed to echo in the empty mess hall.

A strange atmosphere had crept up in between the two. Untold thoughts mingled with the adrenaline and fire from the battle that had occurred not long ago. There was awkwardness but at the same time a feeling of relief that nobody else was there, hearing that conversation and those unspoken words. The fight had ended, but another conflict seemed to still be in place.

Lunos' thoughts galloped back to a few hours before, the cold but burning wound caused by the Breen's(3) rifle was still giving her the chills. The pain was shredding her to pieces and she couldn't get back on her feet. Some blurry golden threads appeared before her eyes. The scent of her Captain, even through the midst of battle, was unmistakable. She injected a hypospray of sorts and the pain was gone even though the wound was still there. Lunos stood back up, only to see her Captain being shot in her back and fall. The Tactical―and First―Officer had raged and shot back at the Breen and his comrades in kind, but was unable to repay the favour to her Captain and had to let the Nausicaan do the job.

"I tried to provide cover fire so that you could be saved," said Lunos almost apologetically.

"Is that why you are troubled?" Sowl had shown many times that she was very perceptive, way more than Klingons would usually be. Some would have sworn she had Betazoid(4) siblings somewhere in her family line. "You fought well, we won the battle. You fought with honour."

"But allowed the rest of the crew to see you lying on the floor."

"It would have been an honourable death," Sowl stretched a little on her chair, the pain at her back still vivid, "instead it was an honourable battle." The captain raised her gaze again to meet Lunos' ."Since when are you so soft? I hope you are not getting all mushy like all those Federation p'Taq(5)."

More silence, filled with more conflicting thoughts, floated in the room. Both Klingon women knew the crew wasn't much like any other. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement that the war was a mistake, but they were fighting because they were loyal to the Empire. However, Lunos knew from previous conversations with her Captain that she would have taken advantage of any situation that could mend the rift between them and the Federation. Behind that tough mask, Sowl regarded the Federation as honourable in her heart. Lunos knew that. The Captain's "private" chats with her First Officer weren't infrequent, but lately they seemed to have built up some tension between the two.

Lunos attempted to formulate an answer, but no sound left her lips. Sowl looked at her with a sly smirk and an almost unperceivable wink. The Captain stood from her chair only to sit again with her left thigh on the table, closer to her First Officer. The two looked at each other straight in the eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Lunos could smell, once again, the lovely scent of her Captain, this time much more pungent somehow.

Both Sowl and Lunos looked and acted in a much more feminine way than other Klingon women. Yet their charisma and presence made sure nobody in the crew even thought of challenging their commanders. The Captain was renowned for her deadly proficiency in the MoQ'bara(6) and in the wielding of the Bat'leth(7). Sowl had often joked that if anybody ever got past her Bat'leth she would reward them with a "special treatment." Lunos always chuckled thinking at how sure Sowl was about never having to administer that "treatment." However recently, whenever the Captain made that statement, Lunos would get shivers―whether they were good or bad shivers, she couldn't put a finger on it.

They had been with humans for a long time and knew each other from their days in Starfleet, but their loyalties led them to leave the Federation when the conflict exploded. That might be one of the reasons why they seemed much calmer than the other Klingon women. Sowl would still burst in anger every now and then, although her anger was channeled and usually justified. Lunos was cold and a silent, if deadly, warrior. She was one who would signify your quick death if you ever met her shade in the field of battle. When alone with her Captain though, she seemed to assume other colours.

Sowl slid her fingertips on the back of her First Officer's hand. Lunos was still holding her mug, but those slender fingers gave her chills. She was tempted to let go of the container to reciprocate in a squeeze, but she wasn't that confident with her Captain. The two still held the gaze for a long moment before Sowl closed the gap between the two. Lunos' eyes rested on those burgundy lips, which swiftly reached out to hers and lingered, but didn't touch them. Instead they roamed next to Lunos' ear.

"I value you over everyone else," began Sowl. Lunos responded with a deep breath. "But I will not allow you to take a nap in the middle of a battle," continued the Captain teasingly.

The First Officer tensed up, inhaling that sensual scent while feeling the Captain's breath on her ear. Unsure of how to read the situation, her body was frozen and unable to take action. It didn't often happen that something was out of her control.

"Kabor to the Captain." A male voice resounded in the empty mess hall. "We have a message from the High Council.(8)"

Sowl rolled her eyes although Lunos couldn't see them as she was staring straight in front of her. "My ready room," she replied to the voice as she stood up and somewhat unsteadily moved towards the mess hall's exit. Lunos left her chair quickly and grasped her Captain's left arm to help her for the first few steps. She knew Sowl was still in pain, but she also knew she was proud and wouldn't have accepted to be carried all the way to the ready room. As soon as the Captain was able to walk properly, and before the mess hall's doors opened, the First Officer let go of the arm, allowing her commander to walk on her own.

* * *

><p><em>(1) Nausicaan: A humanoid species from the planet Nausicaa. Nausicaans were large aliens renowned for their lack of subtlety and their surly, ill-tempered manners.<em>

_(2) Qa thlo': Klingon for "I thank you"._

_(3) Breen: The Breen are a reclusive, powerful, and warlike humanoid race, native to the planet Breen._

_(4) Betazoid: A telepathic species. They look a lot like humans but they all have black eyes._

_(5) P'TaQ: also spelled p'Tak or petaQ. It's a Klingon insult, meaning coward or generally someone who with little worth._

_(6) MoQ'bara: also spelled Mok'bara. Klingon's martial art resembling the terrestrial Tai Chi._

_(7) Bat'leth: or "sword of honor", is a traditional Klingon blade weapon. Resembling a crescent-shaped, two-ended scimitar, the bat'leth is wielded using three handholds along the outside edge of the blade. It is widely considered the most popular weapon among Klingon warriors._

_(8) High Council: The High Council (also referred to as the Imperial Command or High Command) is the legislature and ruling body of the Klingon Empire._


	2. The Challenge

_Chapter 2_  
><strong>The Challenge <strong>

Sowl stormed onto the Bridge, "Kabor, set a course for Deferi."

The big muscular male Klingon nodded silently and entered the coordinates in the computer. The ship entered warp swiftly.

"How long until we get there?" The Captain asked impatiently.

"About four days."

Sowl acknowledged with a slight movement of her head and then turned to her First Officer. "Lunos get the crew ready for battle. They must be prepared for the Breen. I will be in my quarters."

Still limping she walked towards the turbo lift, passing near the engineering station. Kless, the Chief Engineer, stepped closer to her Captain ready to help her to the turbolift. She could feel two blue eyes fixing on her and turned her head towards them. Lunos shook her head slowly and Kless returned to her duty. After a few moments however, the First Officer decided to leap into the turbolift just before the doors closed.

"What is it, Lunos?" Asked the Captain with some irritation caused by the pain.

"I'll have Pathlat come to your quarters and have a look at you," responded the other woman.

"Don't be ridiculous! He saw me when we came back a few hours ago," thundered Sowl. "We are warriors, and I certainly don't need babysitting."

"Sowl, you need to be at full strength for the mission ahead. We will face the Breen again and you need to be at your best to fight them. Not to mention the cold..."

The turbolift halted and the doors opened. The Captain gasped a little as she attempted to walk out and the ache became a little stronger.

"If you are going to start to tuck me in bed, I am going to find a new First Officer," she stated before leaving.

"You wouldn't want to be too weak for your Bat'leth sparring," retorted Lunos.

Sowl stopped walking and slowly turned towards her subordinate with a fiery and intense gaze. "Oh?"

"Well, what would the crew think if they heard their Captain declined a match against her First Officer because she was too weak?"

Sowl smirked. She knew exactly what game Lunos was playing, but she also knew that her First Officer was right. The Breen are challenging opponents and she couldn't allow herself to be at less than her best. "Fine, have someone bring some medication to my quarters. But it had better be a brief visit."

"In three days then?" Lunos' eyes were inspecting the body of the blonde.

"You had better not take back the challenge," Sowl nodded. "What would the crew think if their First Officer declined a Bat'leth match because she thought she had no chance?" Still with a smirk on her face, the Captain turned around once more and headed to her quarters.

* * *

><p>Sowl's quarters didn't have much decoration. Her Bat'leth hung on the wall with a small trophy underneath that she earned from a tournament on Qo'nos(1). Her name was inscribed on a gold plaque: Sowl of Xarath. Her House was a small one, but it was always loyal to the Empire. The trophy reminded her of her duty as a warrior and what she stood for as a Klingon. Yet... that war with the Federation...<p>

On another wall two tajtiq(2) were also hanging in the form of a cross. The blades were shining in the dim light of the room―Sowl took great care of them, like any Klingon warrior would.

The woman lay on her bed, her hands crossed behind her head. This was usually the time around which Pathlat came with his medication. She closed her eyes for a bit of rest waiting for the Nausicaan to pay her visit. She felt much better after the treatments of the last couple of days.

The door chimed as expected. "Yes, get in here." Sowl responded, still with her eyes closed, "Just put the hypospray on the table, I have already exercised."

The new arrival walked towards the Captain instead with surefooted but almost silent steps. Sowl instinctively sat up on the bed and assumed a battle stance, ready to take down the intruder.

To her surprise, Lunos was standing right in front of her with the hypospray.

"What are you doing here?", questioned the Commanding Officer.

Lunos grinned, "Well you kept saying you didn't like to have Pathlat in your quarters every day..."

"What makes you think I want you in here?" Sowl's toned body relaxed as she leant back on her hands.

"Just making sure you are fit enough for tomorrow." Lunos smiled impishly as sat on the bed to the right side of her Captain, edging closer to administer the hypospray on her neck.

Sowl laughed. "Oh don't you worry about that. You will be sore at the end of it and will regret having challenged me." Lunos laughed as well in response to the remark.

As silence took over the two made eye contact like they had in the mess hall a few days back. Again, Lunos felt awkward, her unspoken thoughts were assaulting her mind. Her blue eyes broke contact with the green ones of her superior whilst her hand ran behind the blonde's neck, and then slid down her shoulders in a caress.

Sowl stretched her neck at the touch and closed her eyes, trying to feel whether the pain was totally gone. Lunos shuffled on the bedsheet behind her Captain and proceeded with a sensual and slow massage. Her deft fingers found each sore point and took care of them, while her palms relaxed and caressed the blonde's back. Sowl wasn't hiding her gasps at the touch of her First Officer's intent hands.

She wasn't wearing her shoulderpads nor her gauntlets or sash. She only had her skintight leather top and pants, and the decorative leather strips that hung from her belt. Lunos' body shuffled closer until it made contact with Sowl's, breasts touching her back through the leather. The First Officer's hands began to explore her commander's body, starting from her sides until they locked in front of the blonde's taut stomach. The Captain gasped lightly when she felt two eager lips and a sensual tongue were tasting her ear. She relaxed her body into the embrace and inclined her head when she felt those warm lips travelling down her neck.

Small nibbles and bites soon ensued on that neck's silky skin, and Sowl began to feel her body become warm. Maybe due to the closeness with the other woman, or perhaps because of the excitement that was running through her blood. She reached to Lunos' hands and clasped one of them as they began a journey of exploration.

"Lunos..." she said in a low cry, "I want your lips Lunos. I want them. Now."

Lunos shifted her body to the side, and looked intently at those green eyes, her lips getting closer to those burgundy, inviting ones that were just waiting to be kissed. Sowl cut the wait short by sliding her hands through those white threads and guiding her subordinate's head so that their lips met.

The kiss was passionate and warm, Sowl lightly bit Lunos' lower lip and a soft moan followed in response. Tongues were dancing and fighting at the same time, their lips met hungrily. When the two women broke the kiss, they gazed at each other again for long moments, waiting for who was going to explode first.

After a few moments the First Officer run her finger over Sowl's lips. The blonde frowned, then smiled. Lunos whispered huskily, "Remember what you said about the 'special treatment' for people getting past your Bat'leth?"

Curious, the other woman nodded and nibbled the very tip of the finger that was caressing her lips before responding, "Yes?"

"I am holding you to that," Lunos smirked and stood up. Sowl followed her with her gaze while she walked towards the door. The First Officer glanced at her impishly, "I wonder who will win tomorrow."

With those words, Lunos walked away and disappeared behind the doors.

* * *

><p><em>(1) Qo'nos: The Klingon's homeworld.<em>

_(2) Tajtiq: a long knife, usually used in pairs_


	3. Battles

_Chapter 3_  
><strong>Battles<strong>

The blade of the Bat'leth shined under the dim light of Sowl's quarters. She polished and sharpened it in preparation of the match against Lunos. Sitting on her bed, she held her weapon with one hand while she ran a finger on the flat side of the blade. She was nervous about the upcoming fight and that didn't happen often. Facing an opponent would raise her adrenaline in anticipation, it would ignite her bloodlust and the pride of the warrior she was, but she had not felt apprehension since the first days when she learned how to wield a Bat'leth.

Whilst looking at her blade her mind saw the eyes of her First Officer rather than her own, as her thoughts travelled back to the night before. It was almost as if she could still sense her―smell her scent, her hands, those violet lips... Sowl squeezed her eyes shut, covering them with her palm. Why Lunos had decided to stop was a mystery. But the bigger question was why _Sowl_ let her leave. She could have just locked the door with a command. Yet they knew each other for years and had never got that close before. Neither were dominant over the other, aside for when rank mattered. However, their tactical discussions as of late seemed to be more personal each time. She wasn't sure how seriously to take the night before; Lunos might have just wanted to repay Sowl's tease in the mess hall.

Lunos was a great warrior. Cold and precise, she was a silent predator. Many had fallen at her hands, yet that wasn't the cause of Sowl's nervous sentiment. She didn't fear her. She was honoured to fight alongside, and in this case against, such a warrior. The Captain was confident in her ability to wield a Bat'leth and that might have been just the problem. What if she hurt her First Officer? That worry was new to her and she was well aware that Lunos could take care of herself. Why was she feeling this way?

Sowl inhaled deeply and stood up: It was time for that Bat'leth match. She walked to the exit of her room but, as the doors closed, a strong jolt shook the whole ship and the Captain was almost thrown against the bulkhead. The red alert sounded and Sowl quickly pressed her comm badge fastened to her wrist, "Bridge what's going on?"

"An ambush! Two Breen ships just came out of nowhere Captain!" responded Kabor.

"I'm on my way!" Sowl quickly made her way to the bridge with her Bat'leth in her hands.

* * *

><p>"Shields at 40%," alerted Kabor.<p>

"Transfer power to those shields, quickly," ordered Lunos, "But make sure we keep full power to our Disruptors," she finished while looking at Kless.

The Chief Engineer acknowledged with her head and quickly tapped her console with the intent to divert power from somewhere. The ship was in jeopardy, the torpedoes from two Breen ships were too much to take for her shields. The K'Mis was shaking under heavy fire.

"What's going on with those shields?" urged Sowl.

"Just a few more seconds, I have almost..." The Engineer was interrupted by a violent jolt followed by a brief power outage.

"We have a hull breach!" screamed Kabor, "Our shields are down!"

"We are being hailed," said Lunos quickly.

"On screen," growled Sowl.

"So that's the might of the Warriors of the Empire?" A masked man in a war suit resembling those of mountain climbers appeared on screen, his metallic voice resounded through the Bridge. "Prepare to be boarded."

"We will not surrender to you, honourless dogs!" Sowl spat angrily. "I don't want to hear them anymore," she yelled, "Cut the comm link and prepare for hand-to-hand combat!"

With the K'Mis' shields disabled it wasn't long before the whine of an incoming transport could be heard through the din, a Breen boarding party materialising on the Bridge. One of the aliens appeared behind Lunos who was standing near the tactical console. Without pause he immediate struck out at the Kingon's kidney landing a punishing blow that bounced the dazed First Officer off the console and onto the metal grating.

Sowl readied her Bat'leth, but was unable to run to Lunos as another Breen had engaged her in combat. She skillfully swirled her blade, using it as an extension of her arm. The Breen kept stepping back trying avoid the weapon, but it was clear that he didn't have the upper hand, seemingly realising that trying to engage this Klingon Captain in melee combat wasn't a bright idea.

Kabor, Kless and other Bridge crew were exchanging fire with the rest of the boarding party, while Lunos was still alone with the Breen that attacked her from behind. She skillfully lept back on her feet despite the pain at her kidney and drew two tajtiq from her boots. She blocked what would have been a damaging blow from the butt of her opponent's rifle with her daggers and delivered a kick to his knee, forcing his leg to bend and throwing him off balance. The First Officer finished him off with a leg sweep that caused the Breen to land on his back and slit his throat with her blades.

"Lunos!" Kless' voice came from her left and she quickly turned in response. A shot from a Breen's rifle struck the First Officer right on her temple and she collapsed unconscious.

Sowl witnessed the scene, and in a burst of rage she dealt a deadly blow to her opponent with the Bat'leth. He fell on the floor, lifeless, his blood tainting the Captain's blade. The Breen weren't doing too well with their boarding party and only two were left standing.

One of them tapped his comm badge, "We need more over here!"

"Yes sir, transpo..." the voice from the Breen's comm badge was interrupted by an explosion. Instinctively, all people on the Bridge looked at the view screen to see what was happening. An Intrepid Class(1) Federation vessel had appeared and fired on one of the two Breen ships, disabling it. The two Breen that were left on the bridge were transported away.

"Fire on the disabled ship!", yelled Sowl.

Kabor quickly ran to the tactical console and fired the Disruptors with all the energy they had available. With their shields down the Breen ship exploded. The other hostile ship warped away quickly.

The Captain immediately ran to her First Officer and tapped her comm badge on her wrist. "Pathlat, medical emergency on the bridge. Lunos is down." She knelt beside the prone warrior but didn't move her in case something was broken. She lightly ran her thumb over her lip, while she cupped her cheek with the rest of her hand.

Pathlat materialised next to the two with a medical kit. He scanned the First Officer with a tricorder. "Sir... she is in a coma. I need to operate on her but..." he started.

"But what?" The response of the blonde Klingon was filled with anger and impatience.

"When we were boarded by the Breen they also transported away our medical supplies," the Nausicaan concluded.

Sowl's eyes opened wide. She stared at the battle medic for a few seconds, then she turned to Lunos once more.

"That is not the only thing they stole," added Kabor, "We have reports of missing weaponry and food. It seems they needed to refill their supplies."

Sowl regained composure―as much as one can deem a raging Klingon "composed"―"Hail the Federation vessel."

"They are hailing us" responded Kobor "I am putting it on screen."

A brunette with Klingon features appeared in the view screen. Her ridges were not very pronounced, like those of other Klingons, but they were still visible.

"Klingon vessel, I am Captain Kero Elan, of the Federation Starship Troi. Can we be of assistance?" Said the woman.

"I would have never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to see you, Federation," began Sowl, "We have wounded, but our medical supplies have been robbed by those Breen dogs", The blonde didn't even try to hide the rage from her voice.

Kero glanced at the Klingon on the floor, "I see. They were a raiding party then. We can supply you with medicine and help you with the wounded If you let us transport aboard."

"No! They are just going to try to seize our vessel while our defenses are down!" Objected one of Sowl's bridge crew.

"Enough, Rakat!" Responded another, who menacingly lept towards the dissenter, "Let our Captain handle this."

"Let it be, Terak." Said Sowl. Rakat grumbled and walked back to his console, while Terak acknowledged the order and went back to his post.

Sowl's eyes passed over at the two crewmen and then to Lunos, eventually resting on the viewscreen again. "Fine. Kabor make sure our guests are not alone," she ordered reluctantly.

"Very well," Kero nodded and the transmission was ended.

"I guess now we see how good an idea it was to put an ex Federation p'TaQ in charge..." Rakat complained.

"Say that again.", Sowl looked at the rebel with piercing eyes.

"We don't need the Federation dogs. We are warriors and we die in battle. You are proving to be a weak leader, accepting help from a hybrid Klingon who doesn't even have the honour to side with her Empire," he continued.

"Then you fight me to the death and prove your worth!" Sowl swung her Bat'leth at the other Klingon and he responded by parrying the first attack with his knives. The two danced around each other in a wirlwind of flashing blades, but it wasn't long before the Captain's weapon found its way to a deadly blow. The male Klingon grunted in pain and sagged further onto her blade. His lifeless body slid off the Bat'leth and hit the floor.

The turbolift's door hissed open depositing a group of people wearing Federation uniforms onto the Bridge. Among them was Kero. She looked at the wounded and ordered her team with a gesture of her hand to tend to them, including Rakat, unaware of what had just happened. Terak stepped in front of one the Federation doctors, preventing him from advancing further.

"There's nothing you can do for him," he said in a growl.

The doctor glanced at Kero, confused, who nodded to indicate acceptance at what Terak had said. The Federation Captain's gaze lingered on Terak for a while before turning to Sowl.

The blonde indicated Lunos with a motion of her head. Kero removed the scanner from her medical tricorder and knelt, passing the device over the unmoving Klingon as she focused on the readings.

"She's in a coma," asserted Pathlat, "But our sickbay equipment is damaged..."

"Indeed she is. We will need to beam her aboard our ship to operate on her, or the blood will form a clot in her brain. We can't wait for the repair crew to fix your sickbay." Kero looked at Sowl for permission.

"I won't allow her to go to your ship alone," said the Klingon Captain, "I'll go as well."

"I'll stay here as a guarantee..." responded Kero, "Besides I am a well versed doctor, I will supervise the medical efforts." The Federation Captain glanced Terak again before ordering the transport of the two Klingon women directly to the Troi's sickbay.

Once Kero finished to give out assignments to her away team and took care of the most urgent injuries she went to the mess hall, accompanied by Kabor and a security detatchment, to have a very short break. She made arrangements to transport medical supplies over from the Troi to the K'Mis, and she had to stay on the Klingon ship to await the return of Sowl. A muscular male Klingon with grayish hair approached the woman at her table.

"May I sit here?" asked Terak.

Kero raised her gaze and followed him while he sat down, "Of course..." The suspicion in her voice was evident.

"Do you not recognise me?" Was that a hint of teasing in his voice?

"Should I?" she replied cauciously.

"I am your father. Terak of the House of Elan."

* * *

><p>It was late and Lunos' operation had ended. She had to stay in observation in the Troi's sickbay at least for the night while the K'Mis was being repaired. It was clear that these Federation people did not intend to attack the Klingons, although Sowl wasn't really surprised. She had been in Starfleet for years after all.<p>

She was seated next to Lunos' bio-bed and had not slept at all. She was holding her hand in between hers and caressing her cheek every now and then. The Chief Medical Officer of the Troi had successfully stopped the internal hemorraging, and according to her, Lunos was out of the coma but still too weak to regain consciousness. Her condition wasn't stable yet and she was still at risk of dying.

Sowl's eyes rested on those violet lips that had kissed her just the night before. Whether those lips would grace her again it was unknown. And that was if the night had meant anything anyway. The future, more so now than ever, was uncertain. She always took for granted that battle could divide them one day, yet it never was so real to her as it was now in that room, next to that bio-bed. A million Bat'leth's wounds didn't hurt as much as seeing Lunos in this condition. Especially not after the desire and fire the night before had ignited in Sowl's heart.

The Klingon Captain was severely lacking sleep. Accompanied only by the thoughts of loss, she collapsed next to her First Officer and sunk in a restless sleep.

* * *

><p><em>(1) Intrepid Class: also known as the class of the Federation vessel Voyager.<em>


	4. Stories of the Past

_Chapter 4  
><em>**Stories of the past**

"You can go" commanded Terak. The two security guards standing next to Kero Elan nodded and left. He had two mugs filled with Bloodwine; he placed one in front of the Federation Captain and started to drink from the other.

"So... my daughter commands her own ship now." he added, satisfied.

The woman stared at him without uttering a word, motionless.

"Don't you like Bloodwine anymore? Did you soften up with the humans?" smirked Terak.

"Why hasn't Command heard from you since such a long time?" Kero managed to say eventually, "There have been all sort of speculations, death, capture..."

"...Treason?" finished the male Klingon looking intently at his daughter. He had dark brown air, just like her, but the age could be seen in his sporadic grays. His physique was still fairly imposing and strong.

Kero looked down at her mug, tilting her head, "Care to explain what you are doing here?" She didn't want to be so harsh with him. Yet the shock and the surprise had struck her hard. She always defended her father; she insisted that if he wasn't in touch with Starfleet Command anymore, there would have been a good reason. He couldn't be a traitor. However, here was, right in front of her, in absolutely no danger aboard a Klingon ship.

Terak breathed deeply and leaned back against his chair. He placed his mug on the table with his right hand but didn't let go of its handle, while he rested his left elbow on the back of the chair, letting his other hand hang lazily.

"After one of my transmissions to Starfleet Command, I was discovered," he began with a grave voice, "I was going to be killed right there and then, if Captain Sowl didn't insist on bringing me before the High Council."

Kero perked an eyebrow and decided to look back up at her father.

"She made up a story about me working for her, pretending to be an informer for the Federation by feeding them false information." Terak paused a moment to breathe deeply, "Yet some of that information had to be true and verifiable by Federation intelligence so that my credibility would remain solid... According to Sowl's version of the facts, of course."

"Why did you remain here? Why didn't you try to reach the Federation?" Questioned hastily the half Klingon.

"That would cost Sowl her head." Terak's reply was prompt, "She saved my life, escaping and leaving her to her fate would have not been honourable."

Kero nodded, "Why did she help you?"

Terak looked around him and leaned towards his daughter, almost as if what he was about to say was more sensitive information than what he had just explained, "I don't think she really agrees with the war." He picked up his mug again and finished the Bloodwine, "Kero, I can't come back now."

The Federation Captain nodded once more. She had a little smirk on her face, although her eyes were sad. She always knew there had to be a good reason, her father wasn't dishonourable.

"But I promise you, if I see a chance to come back, I will. I am going to help put an end to this war. And I know I can do it on this ship." Terak looked at his daughter firmly, "It turned out to be the best way, I can side with the Empire, while not betraying the Federation."

"I guess you don't want me to mention you in my reports?" Asked Kero.

The Klingon shook his head, "8472(1) is around, they are inciting conflict between the Empire and the Federation and they shapeshift and swap faction all the time. I wouldn't want this info to wind up in the High Council's hands."

Kero sighed in response.

"I can't allow Sowl to die because of this, please understand." Terak concluded.

* * *

><p>It was another late night in sickbay for Sowl, alone with the bio-bed and Lunos. Most of the damage to the K'Mis was repaired and the two Captains had returned to their ships with their respective crews and parted ways. Lunos was still unconscious.<p>

Suddenly something pressed lightly on Sowl's shoulder, causing her to almost jolt out of her dozy state and turn around. The tall figure of her Chief Engineer was standing behind her, displaying concern in her eyes. The Captain of the K'Mis turned back to Lunos, an elbow on the bio-bed, the head resting against her hand.

Kless took a couple of steps back and sat on a chair, "I didn't realise she was so important for you."

Sowl didn't speak; instead, she kept staring at her First Officer, visibly tired.

"I hear there is still a chance she could wake..." started the Officer.

"Did we find the Breen ship that escaped us yet?" interrupted Sowl.

"We found a matching warp signature on long range scanners. We should reach them in about a day." Kless' response was prompt, but the Captain seemed to have slipped into her silence once more, "Is there anything I can do?"

Sowl was holding Lunos' hands in hers; she was looking at her eyes hoping they would open. The blonde was having trouble keeping her own open however.

Kless stood and grumbled, she moved towards the door of sickbay, but stopped in front of it. She turned around to look at her Captain, "You know, you can just kill yourself tired and stay here like a sorry p'TaQ..."

"Watch your mouth, Lieutenant." Warned Sowl, still not turning around.

"...but I think she deserves better than that." Finished Kless before taking the last steps to exit sickbay.

"We've known each other for years," began Sowl suddenly, "And while the thought had crossed my mind a few times in those years, it didn't feel so real... to share more than a friendship with her."

The Chief Engineer turned back and reached the chair she had sat on previously. She had almost no hair beside a white ponytail starting from the top of her head. She ran her fingers just on top of her ocular implant to get rid of a light itch before seating down. When she was a Borg Drone, her left eye got replaced by a cybernetic implant, and small trace of it was still left after her Klingon physiology had reasserted itself.

"When did this change?" she asked.

"I think it was a slow process. But it wasn't until some days back that I realised I wanted her so badly..." Sowl replied, tiredness transpiring in her voice, "We served on the same Federation ship for quite a long time. We'd duel in the holodeck, always keeping fit for combat, you know. I think she was better with the Tajtiqs... still is."

Kless smiled and allowed silence for some moments, "I didn't think you could be so soft."

Sowl sighed, "You tell this to the crew, I'll rip your heart out."

The ex-Borg inclined her head, "About Lunos?"

"No, about being soft."

The two Klingons chuckled lightly, forgetting the gravity of the situation for a brief moment.

_1. 8472: This species was found in the Delta Quadrant by the Voyager crew, and was at war with the Borg. According to the lore of Star Trek Online, which starts in 2409, species 8472 is trying to upset the balance in our galaxy._


	5. Payback

_Chapter 5_  
><strong>Payback<strong>

"Fire those damned torpedoes!" yelled Sowl while holding onto her Bridge chair.

"Torpedo systems are offline!" responded Kless, "I'll need to..."

"Do what you have to do, NOW!" the Captain readied her phaser and grabbed her Bat'leth, which she always kept next to her chair, "What's the condition of their shields?"

"They are down, the Breen ship's having trouble too." responded Terak.

"Excellent. Terak, Kabor and Kless get ready to board them. We'll give them some payback." The blonde Klingon had to shout, the noise from the jolts and continuous weapon fire from the ships' confrontation were very loud. Sowl tapped the comm badge on her wrist, "Pathlat, how's Sick Bay?"

"We have had some power fluctuations... have some injured, getting them patched up and sendi... them back to work. Other than that we... fine" the Nausicaan's voice was broken up by some interference in the comm system "Lunos is still..."

"Keep it up, nobody slacks on my ship. Sowl out." The Captain nodded to Kless who promptly initiated transport on the Breen ship.

As they materialised on the Breen's bridge, a crossfire of phasers and rifles welcomed them aboard. The Klingon boarding party had to quickly find cover and responded to the weapon fire.

Sowl quickly scanned the area to find what looked like the superior officer. He had some sort of decoration on his suit that seemed to indicate he was of higher rank. She moved swiftly from cover to cover to get to closer to his position, exchanging phaser fire whenever she was attacked.

A sudden acute pain to her right shoulder accompanied by a thud took Sowl by surprise. A Breen had snuck up on her and had managed to hit her with the back of his rifle, causing her to fall on one knee. He quickly pointed the weapon at her to shoot her, but she swung a kick at him, causing the rifle to fly off somewhere.

The Breen was fast at unsheathing a knife and threw himself with force at the Klingon, who was still off balance from the kick. He wound up on top of the blonde, locking her down on the floor with the intention to sink that knife into her throat.

The other officers were too busy with the rest of the Breen crew on the Bridge and couldn't support Sowl. An attempt from Terak to launch himself at the alien who had knocked his Captain down was stopped before he could even try by another Breen. Kless and Kabor were pinned down by cover fire.

Sowl and the Breen struggled on the floor for moments that appeared to take an eternity. The knife was getting closer and closer to her throat, while she was trying to push it upwards by pressing against the alien's with both arms. She was a proficient close combat fighter, but this opponent was quite strong.

"This is not the end of me, P'TaQ", growled the Klingon who quickly released her right arm from the wrestle. Suddenly the Breen gasped, his grip on the knife loosened up and Sowl was able to push him aside, as he fell on the floor like a dead weight.

"You people forget important details, such as the Bat'leth on the floor next to you." said the Klingon Captain to the dying Breen.

A sudden burning sting to her leg forced Sowl to bend on her knee once more.

"And you forget you are surrounded and on an enemy ship" said the Breen commander with a pistol pointed at her. The Klingon slid her hand onto her belt only to realise her disruptor was lost anywhere. She had no way to defend herself.

"I guess it's a good day to die" she responded, waiting for the execution.

Execution which never came, as the Breen Captain himself got shot right in his chest by a disruptor beam and dropped on the floor.

"Not just yet, you owe me a Bat'leth match still!" Said a familiar voice.

Sowl turned briskly to her right, to see a weak Lunos with a pistol in hand, while leaning on Pathlat with her arm.

More Klingons had boarded the Breen ship and the fight quickly turned to their favour, with just a few aliens left which were being taken care of quickly.

"Always showing off, boarding with just a few people" added the Lunos with a smirk.

"I didn't want the Breen to counter our move and overtake our ship, in case they decided to board us in the meantime. It seems they didn't do that, hm?" Explained Sowl, "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

The First Officer attempted to gain some balance and tried to stand on her own, "Saving your ass!"

* * *

><p>With the Breen ship apprehended and most of the supplies recovered, the K'Mis was able to see some peace and quiet for a while. A few weeks had passed, giving the crew time to recuperate from the battle.<p>

Sowl was in the holodeck, fighting some holographic Klingons with her Bat'leth.

The sound of the holodeck's door opening up caused the Captain to turn to the entrance for a moment, "Always keeping fit huh?" Lunos stepped in the room, but remained at a distance from her superior as she was still fighting. The blonde fended her last blow to the holographic opponent and then said, "Computer, pause program."

"Hm-hm, I hope you are too." Added the blonde, "We had a sparring to take care of, remember?"

"This is why I just came here." grinned the First Officer while unsheathing her Tajtiqs from the boots.

The Captain assumed her usual battle stance with her Bat'leth, holding it as an extension of her arm. She looked cunningly at her subordinate, "Are you sure you'll be fine? You know, after that bad beating you got from the Breen?"

"Hey, I saved your ass the moment I regained consciousness" started Lunos, "And you have no idea of what manner of threats I had to throw at Pathlat to let me leave the Sick Bay so that I could beam over. And right on time too, it seems."

Sowl perked her right eyebrow and scrutinized her opponent. She shuffled sideways, slowly, waiting for the right moment to strike, "I had it perfectly under control."

"You sure did!" said Lunos with a grin. She suddenly jumped forward, swinging her long knife at Sowl, who fended it off with her Bat'leth. The two engaged in and elegant, swift combat, where Lunos' precise, stealthy moves were being met by the deadly dance her Captain's blade.

They kept going for several minutes, when one got the upper hand, the other soon recovered and it was hard to tell who could win... Until Lunos left her guard open for too long while attempting to hit her opponent with an upswing, which was rendered useless by Sowl's dodge, followed by a twirl of the Bat'leth that forced the First Officer to step back, losing balance and allowing Sowl to push her on the floor, the crescent-shaped blade terribly close to her throat. Her body locked on the floor by that of her Captain's.

The blonde Klingon smirked, "So I guess I've won."

Lunos sighed, without taking her eyes off her commander, despite having a blade dangerously close to her skin, "Maybe so."

Sowl felt something poking the side of her waist, the end of a Tajtiq was pressed against it. The First Officer grinned once more, "So... about that special treatment you promised..."

"You haven't won!" responded the Captain quickly.

"Neither have you!"

"I could just press this Bat'leth against your throat now, and you'd be dead like those Breen dogs." Continued the blonde.

Silence ensued for a brief moment all the while the two Klingons kept looking at each other in the eyes.

"Or you could press your lips against me..." Said Lunos eventually.

Sowl slowly moved the Bat'leth away and laid it on the floor without breaking eye contact. Lunos allowed her knife to drop from her hand while the blonde leaned on her and met her lips passionately. It was the kiss of someone who had awaited that moment for a very long time, and who feared it'd never come.

With their body tightly pressed against each other, their hands explored every curve. Slowly and sensually, they rid of each other's garments until they were skin on skin. Lunos lightly raked her nails along Sowl's back, as she kissed her neck to then trail downwards to her breasts. Lunos was far from passive however, making her Captain shiver with the touch of her hands, the warmth of her own lips.

The First Officer took a deep breath. "So... are you a traditionalist?"

Sowl kept tasting her subordinate's breast for a few more moments before responding, "I'm laying with another woman, what do you think?"

Lunos hit her lightly, "That's not what I mean..."

"I waited for this for a long time" interrupted the blonde, "I..."

"Will this matter beyond these walls?" The white haired Klingon run a finger on Sowl's lips.

"It will."

"Then tell me."

Their whispers were the only thing filling the otherwise silent room.

The blonde gazed at the person in front of her in the eyes once more. "I love you, Lunos; you better not die on me again, because you are going to have to stick with me for a long while yet."

Lunos smiled, cupped Sowl's beautiful face with her hands and drew her close to kiss her with even more passion.

The whispers abandoned the room to be taken over by gasps and pleas of love.


End file.
